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Getting kids excited about science means that we have a future wave of scientists.
Teaching science to kids is critical because it encourages them to look around themselves
and ask questions.
The Red Spot is a big storm, so it's kind of like there's always a tornado on Jupiter.
In that one Red Spot, you can fit about three Earths.
Wow!
Astronomy is a great way to introduce kids to science. It's really easy to get interested
in science when you have something as cool as outer space to think about.
It is such a visual science. When you zoom in on the Ring Nebula, for example, and think
about what is happening in that tiny patch of sky... And then look at everything else
that's out there and think about the possibilities. I think it really captivates the imagination
in a way that no other science can.
What's that?
That is Draco the dragon.
We had a very basic cylinder-based with a light bulb in the middle planetarium.
Then I found the Digitarium, and I had no idea
how easy and how fun a planetarium show could be.
The Digitarium is really the best digital planetarium system on the market because of
the ease of use. It is so simple to pick up that remote control and start teaching with
it. I've had people tell me that they were teaching with it after 10 minutes of practice.
This is my favorite constellation. We're talking about Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is the queen
of Ethiopia, and she is very, very beautiful. The Digitarium remote looks like any standard
remote. It looks like a television remote, and I don't have to be on a computer. Even
though it is a computer, I'm not having to work at a computer. And that gives me the
freedom to walk all around the planetarium and really be with the students that I'm teaching.
Responding to our clients' needs is very important to us. What makes a planetarium useful for
an educator is usability. No matter how sophisticated the software is, if the educator cannot figure
out how to use the software, the software doesn't help them teach.
Our Digitarium system has the best usability on the market. Nothing is going to be easier
to pick up and start teaching with than that handheld remote control.
There's absolutely no shortage of things to see with the Digitarium. It can take you
anywhere you want to go. I personally love all the constellations.
You can zoom in on deep space objects, show grids to talk about how scientists communicate
how to find things in the sky. You can also go to all the planets, go to
some of the moons on the planets... Anywhere in outer space that you can really conceive
of going, the Digitarium will help you get there. Really you can teach any age with the
Digitarium. From preschoolers learning about the constellations
all the way up through university and college students learning how to navigate through
the sky, how to tell each other how to find a deep space object in the sky... It's very,
very versatile. We designed our Digitarium systems and Digitalis
inflatable domes to be very easy to move around and set up. You can actually set up the Digitarium
system in about two minutes from the time you open the transit case. The dome is a matter
of hooking the fan up to the fan tunnel and turning the fan on.
Having a portable planetarium is necessary in my outreach program that I work for. Because
I have the ability to go anywhere, I can serve any community. I usually go out by myself,
and setting up the Digitarium is a breeze. The dome behind me is a 16 ft diameter dome.
It seats about 25 adults or 40 young children. When the door is open for people to enter
or exit the dome, it will deflate a tiny bit. But we've designed it so that the exhaust
vents close early on. We timed it with the doorway open, and the dome stayed up for more
than three minutes. We also develop Nightshade, which is the
planetarium software our systems run. And that software expertise makes a world of difference.
Software updates are very easy. We package several new features together at once, send
out an email to tell people that there is an update available. You basically just have
to plug it into an ethernet port and tell it to start updating itself.
We also have a community website that enables our clients to tell us what they would like
to see in the Digitarium, as well as to share ideas with each other.
My teaching style has actually changed quite a bit since we got the Digitarium. I'm able
to not have to think so much about the equipment that I'm using and able to really put all
of my attention on the students, and the questions that they're asking, and what level of astronomy
they're at, and really how to take the show to their needs.
Students love the Digitarium. As soon as I bring up all the constellation pictures
and they can really see that the entire sky is full of constellations, it's just breathtaking.
They all universally love the Digitarium.
That was awesome!
I liked everything.
That was cool! I want to watch it again!
Leigh Simpson no longer works for Pacific Science Center
She loved our systems so much that she now works at Digitalis!